Assignment – FP014 LS

LEARNING STRATEGIES ASSIGNMENT

Student’s full name: Olga Solanda Caicedo Bazán

Group: 2018-2

Date: October 31st, 2020

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 Assignment – FP014 LS

INDEX

Content

Assignment:.....................................................3
Explaining the saying:..........................................4
Tyacke and Mendeksohn’s response................................5
Pros and cons...................................................6
BIBLIOGRAPHY....................................................9

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 Assignment – FP014 LS

Assignment:
This assignment consists of three parts.

Under point 3.3.7 Issues in Strategy Instruction (in your written material) the following questions are
considered as crucial before implementing strategy training with students:

 Should the strategy instruction be short-term or long term? How long should it last? A class? A
term? A year? At regular intervals? Etc.
 Should the treatment of strategies be implicit (or “blind”) or should it be explicit (“informed” or
“strategy-plus-control”)? Or should it be a combination of both approaches?
 Should the teacher try to cover a comprehensive list of different strategies, or should the focus be
on a limited number of strategies?

Bearing this in mind these questions as well as the rest of the material studied in this subject, consider the
following task that has been adapted from R. Oxford (“Language Learning Strategies: What every teacher
should know”. 1990:211).

An ancient proverb says, Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach him how to fish and he eats for a
lifetime”.

1. Explain what this saying means to you in the area of language learning and teaching. Gives
examples from your own experiences, justifying these and backing them up with information
from the subject and from your outside readings.
2. Now consider Tyacke and Mendelsohn’s (1986:178) response to this proverb: “But just as there
are many different kinds of rods, different kinds of bait and different fishing locations, all of which
offer a variety of choices and experiences there are different ways of learning language”

What does this mean to you? How does it affect? What do you think of the proverb as applied to
strategy training?

3. What are the pros and cons of conducting strategy training in your opinion?

Important: You must write your personal details and the subject name on the cover (on the
next page). Assignments that do not fulfil these conditions will not be corrected. You have
to include the assignment index below the cover.

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Explaining the saying:

For me this saying could apply for any human process which implies a previous explanation or experience
to be done. The famous proverb probably was used to explain to others about a basic concept of feeling
and survival. Language learning is a process which needs both experience and explanation to be
successful. But when referring to give a man a fish… I associate it with instruction, and … teach them how
to fish… it is autonomous or independent learning. Anyway, teaching and learning how to fish, and
teaching and learning a second language have really different processes which demand totally different
strategies, techniques and approaches. Stating this we can quote Oxford (1998): “Students who can
manage their learning process on their own are able to make decisions in order address directly what they
want or need to learn. Also, learning strategies are considered essential for a successful learning process:
if learners know what actions to take in order to deal with learning tasks, they can go through easier and
more satisfactory learning experiences”.

Thus, comprehending the nature of LS (Learning Strategies) and their inferences in the language learning
process turns into a significant matter in the day- to – day teaching practice. Taking into account this, one
of our main purpose as L2 teachers is to help learners better choose and practice instrument s that
encourage language learning efficiently and autonomously, as to grant practice and task that activate the
applications of such mechanisms.

From my own teaching experience in the Institute Martha Bucaram de Roldos the language learning
classroom with level A1 and A2, we tend to give a very grammar, vocabulary oriented instruction and then
provide learners chances to practice and apply previous instruction in giving contextualized and
situational task. It is also showed, most of the times, samples of English – speakers pronouncing and using
those instructed topics in real life situations, through audios and videos most of them taken from English
Central Platform. Sometime, it is used real material, YouTube videos, or TV series, chosen to reach the
lesson learning objectives, I and most of most my colleagues, are definitely not fully conscious of
promoting learning strategies as a decisive and essential issue in learning a second language. It means, we
just give fish to students. However, if we associate learning and feeing processes, I am truly convinced an
elementary student is like a baby, who needs somebody giving him fish each day, until he is big and strong
enough to feed himself. How long does this process of feeding themselves take to humans? A long time
indeed. The same happens to learners when learning something as complex as a new language.

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Tyacke and Mendeksohn’s response.

Now considering Tyacke and Mendelsohn’s (1986:178) response to the fish proverb: “But just as there are
many different kinds of rods, different kinds of bait and different fishing locations, all of which offer a
variety of choices and experiences, there are different ways of learning language.”, which I totally agree,
we could associate this idea, not only with the learning strategies but also to the learning styles topic and
individual factors of learning. Most people accept the fact that each person has different learning styles
and techniques. Learning styles issue set so-called typical ways that learners do learn. Everybody has a
mixture of learning styles. Some people could find that they adopt a main or dominant style of learning.
Others might find that they use different styles depending on what they are learning. There is not a
correct combination and also there is not fixed styles. It is possible to develop aptitude in less adopted
styles, as well as more development in those styles that a person already uses appropriately.

Additionally, taking into account Cohen (1998: 15) “Once learners have a sense of their style preferences,
it may be easier for them to see why it is they prefer using certain strategies and not others.” Not only
learners have to pay attention to rods, baits and locations but also definitely teachers who will offer and
transmit the knowledge of ‘how to fish’. This last statement introduces the concept of strategy
instruction. As Rubin (1996: 151) stated: “Strategy instruction is one way to work towards enhancing your
procedural knowledge. Since many adults are ‘language phobic’ or inexperienced with language learning,
they need to gain more procedural knowledge to deflect negative affective influences and to begin to
experience some success.” teachers should be aware of the whole process. Let´s say if the proverb of fish
is as learning and teaching, teachers must know everything about fish (types, places you can find them,
nutritional value, etc.), rods (brands, prices, techniques, etc.), baits (types, size, etc.) and places (climate,
seasons, location, etc.)

The chapter I found most interesting was the following one, where the author considers the question of
“inner speech”, and whether or not it is beneficial to try to think in the L2. I am sure that most language
teachers would advise their students to try and think as much as possible in the target language and to
attempt to avoid constantly translating mentally into their mother tongue. However, according to Cohen,
trying to think directly in the L2 when writing may actually lower the standard of the written work
produced, an observation which has also been suggested by previous research (Friedlander, 1990).
Indeed, when studying immersion programmes in the USA, Cohen addressed the question of why it is that
second language learners fall behind natives in the regular school curriculum. He suggests it may well be
beneficial to give such learners training in developing cognitive processing in their own L1. All in all, the
author feels that thinking in the L2 enhances the learning process but not at the expense of using the L1

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when it is comforting or even necessary, especially at lower levels of language proficiency. Finally the
writer considers strategy use in tests, stating that by looking at these we can help learners to improve
their own results as well as helping to achieve better assessment instruments. He feels that curriculum
planners should consider not only how to test learners but also how to be more familiar themselves with
the test-taking strategies required to perform well. This is nothing new, since teachers are familiar with
published materials which aim to develop the strategies students will need when facing examinations like
the Oxford Preliminary Test or Cambridge First Certificate. What is innovative about the content of this
chapter as well as the previous one is that strategies are dealt with in relation to test-taking techniques
and cognitive thinking, a relationship which has not been explored to such an extent before.

If learning style is generally a matter of predilection and comfortability as most authors seem to agree, I
would say as a matter of conclusion that there is not a top and superlative learning style as there is not a
greatest and right strategy instruction. Society and academic authorities tend to consider as valid and
more effective some styles and strategies over others, but it is something that cannot be inherently
“good” or “bad”, and for that reason people involved in the learning-teaching process must realize their
own most effective one.

Pros and cons

Researches and studies on strategy instruction or training as Cohen terms are not conclusive about
successful strategies which result in learners’ motivation. Therefore, positive and negative aspects can
only be determined by each teacher’s principles and opinions on what he considers an effective
implementation of strategy instruction. Some teachers comprehend it as offering learners specific
techniques and then making them practice this techniques in intended tasks while others believe in
helping students to find their own learning styles. Anyway, I agree with Cohen (1998: 69) “The goal of
strategy training is to explicitly teach students how, when and why strategies can be used to facilitate
their efforts at learning and using a foreign language”.

A very positive aspect about strategy instruction is the fact that students through learning strategies could
recognize the best time and method to use them and promote autonomous learning, consequently
improving their confidence and self-esteem. They could: 1) discover new tips in problem solving, 2) Be
reflexive about results and mistakes, and 3) experience different strategies in order to select the one that
work best for a particular lesson or even field of learning. So, Strategy Instruction enables self-directed
learning within the classroom. When the students apply different strategies, there is a significant
improvement of motivation and self-confidence.

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One possible negative aspect about strategy instruction is that some learners might see autonomy and
independence as something that is not correct to his learning process, it means they are very dependant
to a direct teaching because most of their life, they were given fish, and demand to continue this status
quo. It also may end in lack of interest. This behaviour is also influenced by socio-cultural values and
idiosyncrasies as by previous experiences in learning as said before.

It could be stated that learning strategies are crucial elements of learning process that allow students’
autonomous work. Through a lesson I do my best to make learning environment friendly, emotive,
motivational and communicative. But according to different research, students considered as
academically successful and those ones who are not successful share pretty similar learning strategies,
consequently the main difference can be found in the effectiveness in the use of the chosen strategies
and not in the type of strategy. In spite of this, it seems there are some prevalent and more successful
used strategies in learning a second language. For example, in my personal teaching experience, ‘good’
students try to find similarities between L2 and L1.

Numerous fields of knowledge and research, among which is the Psychology of Education, have been
focusing their attention on variables and processes that have an optimal and effective effect on second
language learning. This approach has generated a great deal of knowledge and theories, but it has not
solved several doubts and questions yet. Even the process of second language acquisition still has lots of
unsolved concerns. In fact, although humans seem to acquire the mother tongue incorporating
grammatical elements without a direct instruction or an apparent predesigned planning and throughout a
natural process of semantic-functional assimilation; it is not the same in terms of second language
learning. In this second case, although learning strategies and styles that individuals use play a relevant
role in the teaching-learning process, there are still a lot of questions to solve. The processes that
differentiate good students from those who are not such good, have deserved the attention of
researchers for some time. Possibly the differences between them do not lie on, as we believe or it
seems, the strategies in use, but more on personal learning styles or on the way learners reflect on the
process of advance, correction and feedback obtained from personal success and fail.

The specific training of learning strategies is associated to students incorporating them effectively and
efficiently to their system of work throughout the acquisition of the L2, to a greater social use, and even in
natural contexts. Successful students often generate new strategies, and diversify and adapt used and
working strategies to their personal skills. Then, it seems clear that we must assume a high degree of

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complexity in this field of knowledge that implies to double our future efforts. And although for now we
can continue working to boost efficiency in the language learning and teaching process, we will have to
continue making efforts to tune in what we know so far and what is essential to know.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cohen, A. (1998): Strategies in Learning and Using a Second Language. Harlow, Essex: Longman.

Andrew D. COHEN. Strategies in learning and using a second language. Harlow, Essex: Longman, 1998, xii
+ 295 pages

O'Malley, J. M. y Chamot, A. U. (1990). Learning Strategies in Second Language Acquisition. Cambridge:

Cambridge University Press.

Oxford, R. (1990). Language Learning Strategies: What every teacher should know. Nueva York: Newbury
House.

Oxford, R. L. (1998). Language learning strategies: what every teacher should know. Boston (etc.): Heinle.

Tyacke, M. and Mendelsohn, D. (1986). Student Needs: Cognitive as well as communicative. TESL Canada
Journal, 3, 171-183

Wenden, A. y Rubin, J. (Eds.) (1987). Learner Strategies in Language Learning. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:
Prentice Hall.